SLPA to convert Bandaranaike Quay into intl. cruise ship terminal

A fully-fledged cruise terminal is to be set up at the Colombo port to cater to the increasing number of stops made at it by cruise vessels, according to Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) Chairman Lakdas Panagoda.

The SLPA plans to convert the Bandaranaike Quay (BQ) of the Colombo port into a “fully-fledged international cruise terminal”, according to Panagoda. This was one of the initiatives taken by the SLPA during the six-month tenure of the new administration, he said.

Cruise lines revived calls at Sri Lankan ports like Colombo after the end of the island’s 30-year ethnic war in 2009. The number of cruise vessels calling at the island’s ports is increasing but the lack of a dedicated cruise ship terminal is seen by the travel trade as a drawback.

Plans are also being drawn up by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) to construct a Central Feeder Terminal to handle the increasing volume of container operations at the Port of Colombo.

Under the project the Bandaranaike Terminal of Colombo which is being used only for general cargo handling at present, is due to be developed as a fully-equipped Central Feeder Terminal.

The completion of the East Container Terminal by the SLPA or as a joint venture with an international terminal operator with the SLPA holding the majority of shares is the main objective to keep the port under SLPA control, he said.

Dr. Panagoda said that the process of developing and implementing an ISO 9001 Quality Management System at JCT is to be completed within the next month.

Furthermore, major development activities at the Colombo port will be conducted accordingly while making the Hambantota port a viable entity with its bunkering facility, he said.

At present, container handling operations at the Port of Colombo are conducted through the three container terminals, namely the Jaye Container Terminal (JCT), Unity Container Terminal (UCT) and Queen Elizabeth Terminal (South Asia Gateway Terminal - SAGT).

The new program, implemented recently to enhance container handling capacity at the Port of Colombo, has been successful. As a result, the number of containers handled in Colombo has risen to 1.95 million per annum, says SLPA Chairman Dr. Parakrama Dissanayaka. (http://www.marinelink.com/)